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Background@#The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused the death of thousands of patients worldwide. Although age is known to be a risk factor for morbidity and mortality in COVID-19 patients, critical illness or death is occurring even in the younger age group as the epidemic spreads. In early 2022, omicron became the dominant variant of the COVID-19 virus in South Korea, and the epidemic proceeded on a large scale. Accordingly, this study aimed to determine whether young adults (aged ≤ 50 years) with critical COVID-19 infection during the omicron period had different characteristics from older patients and to determine the risk factors for mortality in this specific age group. @*Methods@#We evaluated 213 critical adult patients (high flow nasal cannula or higher respiratory support) hospitalized for polymerase chain reaction-confirmed COVID-19 in nine hospitals in South Korea between February 1, 2022 and April 30, 2022. Demographic characteristics, including body mass index (BMI) and vaccination status; underlying diseases; clinical features and laboratory findings; clinical course; treatment received; and outcomes were collected from electronic medical records (EMRs) and analyzed according to age and mortality. @*Results@#Overall, 71 critically ill patients aged ≤ 50 years were enrolled, and 142 critically ill patients aged over 50 years were selected through 1:2 matching based on the date of diagnosis. The most frequent underlying diseases among those aged ≤ 50 years were diabetes and hypertension, and all 14 patients who died had either a BMI ≥ 25 kg/m 2 or an underlying disease. The total case fatality rate among severe patients (S-CFR) was 31.0%, and the S-CFR differed according to age and was higher than that during the delta period. The S-CFR was 19.7% for those aged ≤ 50 years, 36.6% for those aged > 50 years, and 38.1% for those aged ≥ 65 years. In multivariate analysis, age (odds ratio [OR], 1.084; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.043–1.127), initial low-density lipoprotein > 600 IU/L (OR, 4.782; 95% CI, 1.584–14.434), initial C-reactive protein > 8 mg/dL (OR, 2.940; 95% CI, 1.042–8.293), highest aspartate aminotransferase > 200 IU/L (OR, 12.931; 95% CI, 1.691–98.908), and mechanical ventilation implementation (OR, 3.671; 95% CI, 1.294–10.420) were significant independent predictors of mortality in critical COVID-19 patients during the omicron wave. A similar pattern was shown when analyzing the data by age group, but most had no statistical significance owing to the small number of deaths in the young critical group. Although the vaccination completion rate of all the patients (31.0%) was higher than that in the delta wave period (13.6%), it was still lower than that of the general population. Further, only 15 (21.1%) critically ill patients aged ≤ 50 years were fully vaccinated. Overall, the severity of hospitalized critical patients was significantly higher than that in the delta period, indicating that it was difficult to find common risk factors in the two periods only with a simple comparison. @*Conclusion@#Overall, the S-CFR of critically ill COVID-19 patients in the omicron period was higher than that in the delta period, especially in those aged ≤ 50 years. All of the patients who died had an underlying disease or obesity. In the same population, the vaccination rate was very low compared to that in the delta wave, indicating that non-vaccination significantly affected the progression to critical illness. Notably, there was a lack of prescription for Paxlovid for these patients although they satisfied the prescription criteria. Early diagnosis and active initial treatment was necessary, along with the proven methods of vaccination and personal hygiene. Further studies are needed to determine how each variant affects critically ill patients.
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The dense extracellular matrix (ECM) of the tumor severely limits the deep penetration of nanomedicine and weakens its anti-tumor effect. Based on this, the yeast vesicle biomimetic nanomedicine with active deep penetration ability of tumor tissue was designed and developed for enhanced tumor therapy. Results of characterization showed that the yeast cell vesicles (YCV) displayed a spherical morphology with diameter of around 100 nm and was well dispersed. Then the chemotherapeutic drug doxorubicin (DOX) was selected as a model drug, and DOX was loaded into YCV to obtain YCV/DOX through electrostatic interaction, the encapsulation efficiencies of DOX were calculated as 82.5%. The drug release profile of YCV/DOX implied that DOX release showed a manner of pH-dependent, it may be that pH has affected the electrostatic effect of YCV and DOX. Compared with liposomes (Lipo), in vitro cell experiments showed that YCV from natural sources had stronger permeability in three-dimensional multicellular spheres. It is speculated that the mechanism may be good deformation capacity of YCV. A 4T1 xenograft tumor model was established to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of YCV/DOX. The results suggested that YCV/DOX has stronger tumor tissue penetration ability and could effectively inhibit the tumor growth. All animal experiments were performed in line with national regulations and approved by the Animal Experiments Ethical Committee of Zhengzhou University. This study brings new ideas for the development of biomimetic nanomedicine to overcome the ECM of solid tumors.
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@#Objective To explore the protective effects and mechanism of Zuogui Jiangtang Jieyu Formula (左归降糖解郁方, ZGJTJYF) on hippocampal neurons in rats of diabetes complicated with depression (DD) via the TRP/KYN metabolic pathway. Methods (i) In vivo experiments: 60 specified pathogen free (SPF) grade male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into six groups with 10 rats in each groups: control, DD model, positive (1.8 mg/kg fluoxetine + 0.18 g/kg metformin), high-dose ZGJTJYF (ZGJTJYF-H, 40.500 g/kg ZGJTJYF), middle-dose ZGJTJYF (ZGJTJYF-M, 20.250 g/kg ZGJTJYF), and low-dose ZGJTJYF (ZGJTJYF-L, 10.125 g/kg ZGJTJYF) groups. Except for the control group, other groups were established DD model by high-fat emulsion intake with single tail vein streptozotocin (STZ) and four weeks of chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS). All drug administration groups were treated by gavage during CUMS modeling, and the control and model groups were given equal amount of distilled water. After four weeks, the serum levels of blood glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin were measured to determine the hypoglycemic effect of ZGJTJYF. Moreover, the open field test and Morris water maze test were performed to evaluate the antidepressant effect of ZGJTJYF. Changes in 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) level were detected via high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection (HPLC-ECD); the levels of tryptophan (TRP), kynurenine (KYN), and indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) in the hippocampus were detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA); the protein expression levels of synaptophysin (SYN) and postsynaptic density material-95 (PSD-95) were detected via immunohistochemistry (IHC); and the protein expression levels of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NR) 2A and NR2B were detected using Western blot. (ii) In vitro experiments: five SPF grade SD pregnant rats (E16 – 18) were used to obtain primary hippocampal neurons (Ne), six SD new-born rats were used to collected primary astrocytes (As) and microglia (MG), and to establish a Ne-As-MG co-culture system. All co-culture systems were divided into six groups: control (PBS), model [150 mmol/L glucose + 200 μmol/L corticosterone (G&P) + PBS], blank (G&P + blank serum), positive (G&P + positive drug-containing serum), ZGJTJYF (G&P + ZGJTJYF serum), and 1-methyl-D-tryptophan (1-MT, IDO inhibitor) (G&P + 1-MT) groups. After 18 h of intervention by corresponding treatment, immunofluorescence was used to analyze the protein expression levels of SYN, PSD-95, NR2A, and NR2B; ELISA was performed to measure the levels of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α , and TRP/KYN metabolic pathway-related factors [TRP, KYN, kynurenine acid (KYNA), quinolinic acid (QUIN)]. Results (i) In vivo experimental<italic/> results showed that ZGJTJYF-M and ZGJTJYF-L significantly improved the elevated blood glucose state of DD rats (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05, respectively); ZGJTJYF-H, ZGJTJYF-M, and ZGJTJYF-L increased their autonomous activity, learning, and memory ability (P < 0.01, P < 0.01, and P < 0.05, respectively). Moreover, the levels of 5-HT and TRP were significantly increased (P < 0.01), and the levels of KYN and IDO were significantly decreased in the hippocampus (P < 0.01) of rats after ZGJTJYF-M treatment. The protein expression levels of SYN and PSD-95 were significantly upregulated in hippocampal neurons (P < 0.01), while the abnormal activation of NR2A and NR2B was markedly inhibited in hippocampus (P < 0.05) of rats after ZGJTJYF-M treatment. (ii) In vitro experimental results showed that ZGJTJYF-containing serum significantly increased the protein expression levels of SYN and PSD-95 in hippocampal neurons (P < 0.01), decreased the levels of IL-1β (P < 0.01), IL-6 (P < 0.05), TNF-α (P < 0.01), IDO (P < 0.05), KYN (P < 0.05), and QUIN (P < 0.01), and increased the levels of TRP and KYNA (P < 0.01) in the simulated DD state. ZGJTJYF also had an significantly inhibitory effect on the abnormal activation of NR2A and NR2B in neurons (P < 0.05) in a stimulated DD state. Conclusion ZGJTJYF can effectively improve 5-HT deficiency in the hippocampus of rats by inhibiting IDO expression and regulating the TRP/KYN metabolic pathway, and it has a favorable protective effect on hippocampal neuron injury caused by DD. Therefore, ZGJTJYF is an effective potential therapeutic drug for the prevention and treatment of DD.
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Objective:To investigate the correlation between plasma microRNA (miR)-122, miR-33a and the severity of coronary artery disease in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and coronary heart disease.Methods:The clinical data of 196 patients with T2DM from January 2019 to October 2021 in Xuzhou First People′s Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. Among them, 81 cases were complicated with coronary heart disease (combined group), 115 cases were not complicated with coronary heart disease (control group). The plasma levels of miR-122 and miR-33a were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, the plasma level of N-terminal B-type natriuretic peptide precursor (NT-proBNP) was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. In combined group, the number of coronary artery lesions was determined according to the results of coronary angiography, and Gensini score was evaluated. Linear regression model was used to analyze the relationship between plasma miR-122, miR-33a and NT-proBNP levels with the incidence of coronary heart disease in patients with T2DM. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the plasma miR-122 and miR-33a in predicting efficiency of coronary heart disease in patients with T2DM. In combined group, Spearman correlation method was used to analyze the relationship between plasma miR-122, miR-33a and the number of coronary artery lesions, and Pearson correlation method was used to analyze the relationship between plasma miR-122, miR-33a and plasma NT proBNP, Gensini score.Results:The plasma miR-122, miR-33a and NT-proBNP in combined group were significantly higher than those in control group: 5.76 ± 1.35 vs. 1.18 ± 0.33, 1.39 ± 0.37 vs. 0.65 ± 0.11 and (786.87 ± 156.39) ng/L vs. (103.45 ± 19.27) ng/L respectively, and there were statistical differences ( P<0.01). Linear regression result showed that plasma miR-122, miR-33a, and NT-proBNP were positive correlation with occurrence of coronary heart disease in patients with T2DM ( P<0.01); ROC curve analysis result showed that the area under curve of plasma miR-122, miR-33a and combination in predicting coronary heart disease in patients with T2DM were 0.816, 0.845 and 0.912 respectively (95% CI 0.744 to 0.865, 0.768 to 0.892 and 0.836 to 0.967). Coronary angiography result showed that there were 46 cases of single vessel lesions, 25 cases of double vessel lesions and 10 cases of three vessel lesions. The plasma miR-122, miR-33a, NT-proBNP and Gensini score in patients with three vessel lesions were significantly higher than those in patients with double vessel lesions and patients with single vessel lesions: 6.52 ± 0.96 vs. 4.95 ± 0.85 and 3.74 ± 0.52, 1.45 ± 0.31 vs. 1.06 ± 0.25 and 0.81 ± 0.13, (829.78 ± 62.59) ng/L vs. (627.48 ± 47.12) and (502.64 ± 38.24) ng/L, (63.89 ± 12.71) scores vs. (42.18 ± 6.03) and (22.36 ± 2.41) scores, the indexes in patients with double vessel lesions were significantly higher than those in patients with single vessel lesions, and there were statistical differences ( P<0.05). In combined group, Spearman correlation analysis result showed that the plasma miR-122 and miR-33a were positive correlation with the number of coronary artery lesions ( r = 0.879 and 0.825, P<0.05); Pearson correlation analysis result showed that the plasma miR-122 and miR-33a were positive correlation with the plasma NT-proBNP and Gensini score (miR-122: r = 0.896 and 0.788, miR-33a: r = 0.871 and 0.765; P<0.05). Conclusions:The plasma levels of miR-122 and miR-33a are related to the occurrence of coronary heart disease and severity of coronary artery disease in patients with T2DM, which may be used to guide the prevention and treatment of coronary heart disease in patients with T2DM.
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Background@#Since the global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, nonpharmacological interventions (NPIs) such as extensive and comprehensive hand hygiene, mask-wearing, and social distancing have been implemented globally. This study aimed to investigate changes in respiratory viruses other than severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) that occurred following the implementation of these NPIs. @*Methods@#From January 2018 to December 2021, influenza-like illness patient specimens and specimens from the Korea Influenza and Respiratory Viruses Surveillance System were analyzed at the Incheon Metropolitan City Institute of Public Health and Environment.Oropharyngeal or nasopharyngeal swab samples from respiratory infection patients were transferred in a virus transport medium at 4°C. After RNA or DNA extraction, respiratory virus-specific genes for human influenza virus (IFV), adenovirus (ADV), parainfluenza virus (PIV), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), human rhinovirus (hRV), human coronavirus, human bocavirus, and human metapneumovirus were detected by individual real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. @*Results@#A total 3,334 samples were collected. After NPI was implemented, the detection of respiratory viruses other than SARS-CoV-2 decreased overall. The yearly detection rate of respiratory viruses was decreased from 69.5% (399/574) in 2018 and 73.3% (505/689) in 2019 to 19.8% (206/1,043) in 2020 and 34.9% (365/1,028) in 2021. The epidemic was more prominent in respiratory viruses such as IFV and RSV, which were considered dominant viruses, especially those with viral envelopes. Among viruses that were not considered dominant, hRV showed no clear change before and after NPI, while PIV showed a rapid increase compared to the existing dominant viruses between October–December 2021, after the increase in the number of gatherings started at the end of September and the “Relaxing COVID19 and mitigation policy,” which was implemented on November 1. @*Conclusion@#NPI seems to have influenced the isolation and transmission of respiratory viruses in South Korea. In the future, additional studies focusing on the isolation and transmission patterns of respiratory viruses following NPI are needed.
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Background@#Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is often accompanied by secondary infections, such as invasive aspergillosis. In this study, risk factors for developing COVID-19-associated pulmonary aspergillosis (CAPA) and their clinical outcomes were evaluated. @*Methods@#This multicenter retrospective cohort study included critically ill COVID-19 patients from July 2020 through March 2021. Critically ill patients were defined as patients requiring high-flow respiratory support or mechanical ventilation. CAPA was defined based on the 2020 European Confederation of Medical Mycology and the International Society for Human and Animal Mycology consensus criteria. Factors associated with CAPA were analyzed, and their clinical outcomes were adjusted by a propensity score-matched model. @*Results@#Among 187 eligible patients, 17 (9.1%) developed CAPA, which is equal to 33.10 per 10,000 patient-days. Sixteen patients received voriconazole-based antifungal treatment. In addition, 82.4% and 53.5% of patients with CAPA and without CAPA, respectively, received early high-dose corticosteroids (P = 0.022). In multivariable analysis, initial 10-day cumulative steroid dose > 60 mg of dexamethasone or dexamethasone equivalent dose) (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 3.77; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03–13.79) and chronic pulmonary disease (adjusted OR, 4.20; 95% CI, 1.26–14.02) were independently associated with CAPA. Tendencies of higher 90-day overall mortality (54.3% vs. 35.2%, P= 0.346) and lower respiratory support-free rate were observed in patients with CAPA (76.3% vs. 54.9%, P = 0.089). @*Conclusion@#Our study showed that the dose of corticosteroid use might be a risk factor for CAPA development and the possibility of CAPA contributing to adverse outcomes in critically ill COVID-19 patients.
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Background@#Numerous patients around the globe are dying from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). While age is a known risk factor, risk analysis in the young generation is lacking. The present study aimed to evaluate the clinical features and mortality risk factors in younger patients (≤ 50 years) with a critical case of COVID-19 in comparison with those among older patients (> 50 years) in Korea. @*Methods@#We analyzed the data of adult patients only in critical condition (requiring high flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy or higher respiratory support) hospitalized with PCR-confirmed COVID-19 at 11 hospitals in Korea from July 1, 2021 to November 30, 2021 when the delta variant was a dominant strain. Patients’ electronic medical records were reviewed to identify clinical characteristics. @*Results@#During the study period, 448 patients were enrolled. One hundred and forty-two were aged 50 years or younger (the younger group), while 306 were above 50 years of age (the older group). The most common pre-existing conditions in the younger group were diabetes mellitus and hypertension, and 69.7% of the patients had a body mass index (BMI) > 25 kg/m 2 .Of 142 younger patients, 31 of 142 patients (21.8%, 19 women) did not have these pre-existing conditions. The overall case fatality rate among severity cases was 21.0%, and it differed according to age: 5.6% (n = 8/142) in the younger group, 28.1% in the older group, and 38% in the ≥ 65 years group. Age (odds ratio [OR], 7.902; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.754–18.181), mechanical ventilation therapy (OR, 17.233; 95% CI, 8.439–35.192), highest creatinine > 1.5 mg/dL (OR, 17.631; 95% CI, 8.321–37.357), and combined blood stream infection (OR, 7.092;95% CI, 1.061–18.181) were identified as independent predictors of mortality in total patients.Similar patterns were observed in age-specific analyses, but most results were statistically insignificant in multivariate analysis due to the low number of deaths in the younger group.The full vaccination rate was very low among study population (13.6%), and only three patients were fully vaccinated, with none of the patients who died having been fully vaccinated in the younger group. Seven of eight patients who died had a pre-existing condition or were obese (BMI > 25 kg/m 2 ), and the one remaining patient died from a secondary infection. @*Conclusion@#About 22% of the patients in the young critical group did not have an underlying disease or obesity, but the rate of obesity (BMI > 25 kg/m2 ) was high, with a fatality rate of 5.6%. The full vaccination rate was extremely low compared to the general population of the same age group, showing that non-vaccination has a grave impact on the progression of COVID-19 to a critical condition. The findings of this study highlight the need for measures to prevent critical progression of COVID-19, such as vaccinations and targeting young adults especially having risk factors.
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Background@#Remdesivir is widely used for the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), but controversies regarding its efficacy still remain. @*Methods@#A retrospective cohort study was conducted to evaluate the effect of remdesivir on clinical and virologic outcomes of severe COVID-19 patients from June to July 2020. Primary clinical endpoints included clinical recovery, additional mechanical ventilator (MV) support, and duration of oxygen or MV support. Viral load reduction by hospital day (HD) 15 was evaluated by calculating changes in cycle threshold (Ct) values. @*Results@#A total of 86 severe COVID-19 patients were evaluated including 48 remdesivirtreated patients. Baseline characteristics were not significantly different between the two groups. Remdesivir was administered an average of 7.42 days from symptom onset. The proportions of clinical recovery of the remdesivir and supportive care group at HD 14 (56.3% and 39.5%) and HD 28 (87.5% and 78.9%) were not statistically different. The proportion of patients requiring MV support by HD 28 was significantly lower in the remdesivir group than in the supportive care group (22.9% vs. 44.7%, P = 0.032), and MV duration was significantly shorter in the remdesivir group (average, 1.97 vs. 5.37 days; P = 0.017). Analysis of upper respiratory tract specimens demonstrated that increases of Ct value from HD 1–5 to 11–15 were significantly greater in the remdesivir group than the supportive care group (average, 10.19 vs. 5.36; P = 0.007), and the slope of the Ct value increase was also significantly steeper in the remdesivir group (average, 5.10 vs. 2.68; P = 0.007). @*Conclusion@#The remdesivir group showed clinical and virologic benefit in terms of MV requirement and viral load reduction, supporting remdesivir treatment for severe COVID-19.
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Background@#Remdesivir is widely used for the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), but controversies regarding its efficacy still remain. @*Methods@#A retrospective cohort study was conducted to evaluate the effect of remdesivir on clinical and virologic outcomes of severe COVID-19 patients from June to July 2020. Primary clinical endpoints included clinical recovery, additional mechanical ventilator (MV) support, and duration of oxygen or MV support. Viral load reduction by hospital day (HD) 15 was evaluated by calculating changes in cycle threshold (Ct) values. @*Results@#A total of 86 severe COVID-19 patients were evaluated including 48 remdesivirtreated patients. Baseline characteristics were not significantly different between the two groups. Remdesivir was administered an average of 7.42 days from symptom onset. The proportions of clinical recovery of the remdesivir and supportive care group at HD 14 (56.3% and 39.5%) and HD 28 (87.5% and 78.9%) were not statistically different. The proportion of patients requiring MV support by HD 28 was significantly lower in the remdesivir group than in the supportive care group (22.9% vs. 44.7%, P = 0.032), and MV duration was significantly shorter in the remdesivir group (average, 1.97 vs. 5.37 days; P = 0.017). Analysis of upper respiratory tract specimens demonstrated that increases of Ct value from HD 1–5 to 11–15 were significantly greater in the remdesivir group than the supportive care group (average, 10.19 vs. 5.36; P = 0.007), and the slope of the Ct value increase was also significantly steeper in the remdesivir group (average, 5.10 vs. 2.68; P = 0.007). @*Conclusion@#The remdesivir group showed clinical and virologic benefit in terms of MV requirement and viral load reduction, supporting remdesivir treatment for severe COVID-19.
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Objective: To investigate the clinical diagnosis and treatment of congenital laryngotracheoesophageal cleft (LTEC) in children. Methods: The clinical data of 8 children (including 7 males and 1 female)with congenital laryngotracheoesophageal cleft from January 2016 to June 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. The median diagnosing age was 3.75 months (5 days to 12 months). According to the modified Benjamin Inglis classification proposed by Sandu in 2006,there were 3 cases of type Ⅱ, 3 cases of type Ⅲa, 1 case of type Ⅲb and 1 case of type Ⅳa. All children were followed up regularly. Results: Six patients were treated for recurrent bronchopneumonia and aspiration during feeding. The patients were first treated in the pneumology departmentt or intensive care unit. Six patients combined with other malformations. Endoscopic repair operations were performed in 6 cases (3 cases of type Ⅱ, 3 cases of type Ⅲ a), 1 case of LTEC was operated through cervical approach, and 1 case of type IVa LTEC associated with VACTERL was repaired under thoracoscope combined with suspension laryngoscope. Seven patients underwent tracheotomy before or during the repair operations. Gastrostomy was performed in 2 children. The operations were successfully performed in all cases. Three children with type Ⅱ LTEC recovered well and decannulated. One case of type Ⅲa was followed up for 5 months with occasionally choking while feeding. Two cases of type Ⅲa, 1 case of type Ⅲb and 1 case of type Ⅳa died due to severe reflux, tracheomalacia or respiratory failure. Conclusions: Congenital LTEC is a rare congenital malformation which is difficult to diagnose for the poor specificity of clinical manifestations. LTEC needs to be classified by endoscopy examination under general anesthesia. Severe cases of LTEC have poorer outcomes than the mild cases, and the perioperative managements need multi-disciplinary cooperation to reduce the mortality.
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Child , Female , Humans , Infant , Male , Larynx/surgery , Retrospective Studies , Trachea , Tracheostomy , TracheotomyABSTRACT
Cerebral perfusion indicates the hemodynamics in the microcirculation of brain tissue. Although there are many methods of cerebral perfusion examination, CT perfusion and magnetic resonance perfusion are most commonly used to assess the cerebral perfusion in ischemic cerebrovascular diseases. The basic parameters include cerebral blood flow, cerebral blood volume, mean transit time, and time to peak. Cerebral perfusion examination is valuable to diagnose atypical transient ischemic attack, to direct the intravenous thrombolysis and endovascular mechanical thrombectomy in acute ischemic stroke, to assess cerebral flow compensation and collateral circulation distal to chronic cerebral artery stenosis, and to screen the patients with asymptomatic cerebral artery stenosis for the therapy of revascularization.
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OBJECTIVES: To investigate the genetic causes of hearing loss with enlarged vestibular aqueduct (EVA) in two children from unrelated two Chinese families. METHODS: Sanger sequencing of all coding exons in SLC26A4 (encoding Pendrin protein) was performed on the two patients, their sibling and parents respectively. To predict and visualize the potential functional outcome of the novel variant, model building, structure analysis, and in silico analysis were further conducted. RESULTS: The results showed that the proband from family I harbored a compound heterozygote of SLC26A4 c.1174A>T (p.N392Y) mutation and c.1181delTCT (p.F394del) variant in exon 10, potentially altering Pendrin protein structure. In family II, the proband was identified in compound heterozygosity with a known mutation of c.919-2A>G in the splice site of intron 7 and a novel mutation of c.1023insC in exon 9, which results in a frameshift and translational termination, consequently leading to truncated Pendrin protein. Sequence homology analysis indicated that all the mutations localized at high conservation sites, which emphasized the significance of these mutations on Pendrin spatial organization and function. CONCLUSION: In summary, this study revealed two compound heterozygous mutations (c.1174A>T/c.1181delTCT; c.919- 2A>G/c.1023insC) in Pendrin protein, which might account for the deafness of the two probands clinically diagnosed with EVA. Thus this study contributes to improve understanding of the causes of hearing loss associated with EVA and develop a more scientific screening strategy for deafness.
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Child , Humans , Asian People , Clinical Coding , Computer Simulation , Deafness , Exons , Extravehicular Activity , Frameshift Mutation , Hearing Loss , Heterozygote , Introns , Mass Screening , Parents , Sequence Homology , Siblings , Vestibular AqueductABSTRACT
Objective To analyze the data of malignant tumor mortality and change in disease burden in Hebei province from 1973 to 2013.Methods Cancer mortality rate,age-standardized mortality rate and the years of life lost due to premature mortality (YLLs) were calculated by using the data from three rounds of all death causes survey and database of cancer registry in Hebei during 1973-2013.Results From 1973 to 2013,a linear upward of malignant tumor mortality was observed,with a 51.57％ increase.The mortality rate during 1973-1975 was 98.52/100 000 and it was 149.33/100 000 during 2011-2013.During 1973-1975,the YLLs was 17.0/1 000 in males and 12.8/1 000 in females.While during 2011-2013,the YLLs was 23.2/1 000 in males and 15.9/1 000 in females.During 1973-1975,esophagus cancer,stomach cancer and liver cancer were top three leading causes of deaths.During 2011-2013,lung cancer,stomach cancer and liver cancer were main leading causes of deaths.During the past 40 years,the deaths of esophagus cancer and cervix cancer decreased dramatically,but the deaths of lung cancer and breast cancer increased sharply.Conclusions The disease burden caused by malignant tumor is becoming more serious in Hebei.It is necessary to strengthen the primary prevention and screening of malignant tumor.
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In acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients, immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS) due to Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infection is one of the most difficult IRIS types to manage. We report an unusual case of MAC-associated IRIS. At first the patient was diagnosed human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection after he was admitted with pneumocystis pneumonia. After starting antiretroviral therapy he presented unmasked IRIS with MAC infection. Next, he was hospitalized with continuous loose stools and new-onset fever. Investigation included computed tomography (CT), which showed homogeneous enhancement and enlargement of the lymph nodes (LN), elevation of ferritin (>1,650 ng/mL) and lactate dehydrogenase (306 IU/L) levels, and F- fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG PET/CT) scan, which showed increased FDG uptake. These findings were highly indicative of lymphoma. We performed laparoscopic biopsy of the mesenteric LN, and the biopsy culture grew MAC. So we made a diagnosis of MAC-associated. Therefore, IRIS must be considered as a possible diagnosis when AIDS patients develop new symptoms or exhibit exacerbations of existing symptoms. Furthermore the biopsies should be conducted.
Subject(s)
Humans , Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome , Biopsy , Diagnosis , Electrons , Ferritins , Fever , HIV , Immune Reconstitution Inflammatory Syndrome , Iris , L-Lactate Dehydrogenase , Lymph Nodes , Lymphoma , Mycobacterium avium Complex , Mycobacterium avium , Mycobacterium , Pneumonia, PneumocystisABSTRACT
In acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients, immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS) due to Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infection is one of the most difficult IRIS types to manage. We report an unusual case of MAC-associated IRIS. At first the patient was diagnosed human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection after he was admitted with pneumocystis pneumonia. After starting antiretroviral therapy he presented unmasked IRIS with MAC infection. Next, he was hospitalized with continuous loose stools and new-onset fever. Investigation included computed tomography (CT), which showed homogeneous enhancement and enlargement of the lymph nodes (LN), elevation of ferritin (>1,650 ng/mL) and lactate dehydrogenase (306 IU/L) levels, and F- fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG PET/CT) scan, which showed increased FDG uptake. These findings were highly indicative of lymphoma. We performed laparoscopic biopsy of the mesenteric LN, and the biopsy culture grew MAC. So we made a diagnosis of MAC-associated. Therefore, IRIS must be considered as a possible diagnosis when AIDS patients develop new symptoms or exhibit exacerbations of existing symptoms. Furthermore the biopsies should be conducted.
Subject(s)
Humans , Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome , Biopsy , Diagnosis , Electrons , Ferritins , Fever , HIV , Immune Reconstitution Inflammatory Syndrome , Iris , L-Lactate Dehydrogenase , Lymph Nodes , Lymphoma , Mycobacterium avium Complex , Mycobacterium avium , Mycobacterium , Pneumonia, PneumocystisABSTRACT
Objective Objective to investigate the changes of D-dimer and hypersensitivity C reactive pro-tein(CRP)in patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(AECPOD)and their effects on prognosis.Methods From January 2014 to January 2016,104 cases of AECOPD patients were en-rolled in the study.According to the prognosis,they were divided into death group and survival group.D-di-mer and CRP were detected and the concentration changes were observed.Results There was no significant difference in CRP and D-dimer between the two groups on day 1 after admission(P> 0.05).While On the third day,the fifth day and the end of discharge,the concentrations of CRP and D-dimer in the death group were significantly higher than those in the survival group(P<0.05).Conclusion The continuous elevation of D-dimer and CRP suggests that the prognosis of AECOPD patients is poor,so the concentrations of D-dimer and CRP can reflect the severity of the patient′s condition and is helpful in the prognostic estimation.
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OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the effects of chemotherapeutic agents widely used in clinical practice on major histocompatibility complex class I-related chain A and B (MICA/B) expression in breast cancer cells, and to explore the molecular mechanisms involved.@*METHODS@#We examined MICA/B mRNA and surface protein expressions in breast cancer cells treated with chemotherapeutic agents by real-time RT-PCR and flow cytometry respectively. The blocking effects of ataxia telangiectasia mutated and Rad3-related kinase (ATM/ATR) inhibitor caffeine and nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) inhibitor pynolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC) on etoposide-upregulated MICA/B mRNA and surface protein expressions were investigated. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) was taken to investigate whether etoposide enhanced the binding of NF-κB to MICA/B gene promoter.@*RESULTS@#Three topoisomerase inhibitors etoposide, camptothecin and doxorubicine upregulated MICA and MICB mRNA expressions in breast cancer cell MCF-7. Comparing to no-drug-treated cells, MICA mRNA levels increased to (1.68±0.17), (2.54±0.25) and (3.42±0.15) fold, and levels of MICB mRNA increased to (1.82±0.24), (1.56±0.05) and (5.84±0.57) fold respectively in cancer cells treated by etoposide at the concentrations of 5, 20 and 100 μmol/L (P<0.05). MICA and MICB mRNA levels also increased significantly when MCF-7 cells were incubated with camptothecin or doxorubicine at the specific concentrations (P<0.05). MICB mRNA expression also increased slightly in another breast cancer cell SK-BR-3 treated by topoisomerase II inhibitors etoposide and camptothecin (P<0.05). Furthermore, etoposide and camptothecin upregulated MICA/B surface protein expression in MCF-7 cells (P<0.05), and the upregulation was found in both living and apoptotic cells. Our study showed that etoposide induced-MICA/B expression in MCF-7 was inhibited by caffeine at different concentrations. When cancer cells were treated by caffeine with 1, 5 and 10 mmol/L, MICA mRNA levels decreased from (3.75±0.25) to (0.89±0.05), (0.81±0.02) and (0.48±0.04) fold respectively (P<0.001), and MICB mRNA levels decreased from (6.85±0.35) to (1.36±0.13), (0.76±0.06) and (0.56±0.03) fold (P<0.05), while MICA/B protein levels decreased from (3.42±0.05) to (1.32±0.03), (1.21±0.06) and (1.14±0.03) fold (P<0.001), indicating that etoposide-induced MICA/B expression was inhibited by ATM/ATR inhibitor. Similarly, NF-κB inhibitor PDTC also inhibited MICA/B mRNA and protein expressions induced by etoposide significantly when MCF-7 cells were incubated with PDTC at the concentrations of 10, 50 and 100 μmol/L (P<0.05), indicating that NF-κB was also involved in this process. EMSA showed that the binding of NF-κB to MICA/B promoter enhanced in MCF-7 cells after etoposide treatment.@*CONCLUSION@#Topoisomerase inhibitor increased MICA/B mRNA and protein expressions in breast cancer cells, indicating that chemotherapeutic agents might increase the recognizing and killing ability of immunocytes to breast cancer cells. ATM/ATR and NF-κB pathways might be involved in it.
Subject(s)
Humans , Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacology , Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated Proteins/physiology , Breast Neoplasms/genetics , Cell Line, Tumor , Doxorubicin , Etoposide/pharmacology , Histocompatibility Antigens Class I , I-kappa B Proteins , NF-kappa B/physiology , RNA, Messenger , Topoisomerase Inhibitors , Up-RegulationABSTRACT
Objective: To evaluate the incidence and mortality of malignant tumor in 2014 in Hebei Province according to the malignant tumor data collected by Hebei Provincial Cancer Prevention and Control Office. Methods: The registration data from 31 cancer registries in Hebei Province were evaluated according to the audit methods and quality control criteria formulated by National Cancer Registry Centre of China. Finally, the data from 23 registries were qualified as pooled data for final analysis. The incidence and mortality rates were stratified by area, gender, age and cancer site. The incidence and mortality of malignant tumors were estimated combining the population data in Hebei Province. Chinese standard population and Segi's world standard population in 2000 were used for the age-standardized incidence and mortality rates. Results: Twenty-three cancer registry areas covered a population of 14316772. The morphological verification percentage (MV%) was accounted for 76.41%, the percentage of death certificate only cases (DCO%) was 2.05%, and the mortality to incidence ratio (M/I) was 0.65. It was estimated that there were 173.8 thousand new cancer cases and 112.1 thousand deaths in Hebei Province in 2014, respectively. The crude incidence rate in Hebei Province was 235.26/105 (male 257.34/105, female 212.42/105), the age-standardized incidence rates by Chinese standard population (ASIRC) and Segi's world standard population (ASIRW) were 190.53/105 and 188.92/105, respectively. The crude cancer incidence rate and ASIRC were 235.59/105 and 181.85/105 in Hebei urban regions, whereas they were 235.10/105 and 195.38/105 in rural regions. The crude mortality rate in Hebei Province was 151.82/105 (male 189.11/105, female 113.24/105), the age-standardized mortality rates by Chinese standard population (ASMRC) and Segi's world standard population (ASMRW) were 122.99/105 and 122.27/105, respectively. The crude mortality rate and ASMRC were 151.24/105 and 112.78/105 in Hebei urban regions, whereas they were 152.11/105 and 128.38/105 in rural regions. The most common cancer types in Hebei Province were lung cancer, stomach cancer, liver cancer, esophagus cancer and breast cancer. The leading causes of cancer deaths were lung cancer, stomach cancer, liver cancer, esophagus cancer and colorectal cancer in Hebei Province. Conclusion: Lung cancer, gastrointestinal cancer and breast cancer are the most common cancer in Hebei Province. The prevention and control of malignant tumor should be implemented based on practical situation.
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Objective To observe the curative mechanism and effect of neurotoxicity injury induced by methamphetamine (MA) and the neuroprotective effects of gastrodin interfered. Whether the expression of astrocyte and proinflammatory cytokines has contributed to the effects of gastrodin.Methods 48 healthy male SD rats were randomly divided into three groups: control group (Daily intraperitoneal injection of saline for 8 weeks),MA group (A dose of 10 mg/kg MA was administered every day for four weeks,then given daily intraperitoneal injection with 10 mg/kg saline for 4 weeks) and gastrodin group (A dose of 10 mg/kg MA was administered every day for four weeks,then given daily intraperitoneal injection with 10 mg/kg gastrodin for 4weeks) . The behavioral changes of rats were measured by conditioned place preference ( CPP) and sterotyped behavior ( SB) induced by methamphetamine. Immunofluorescence staining was used to detect the expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and NEUN in rat frontal cortex.The expression of IL－6 and TNF－α were detected by quantity RT－PCR and westrn bloting.Results Compa MA depndent 4 weeks group with control group, the scores of sterotyped behavior of MA depndent groups had signficantly increased (P＜0.01) . Comparing MA depndent 4 weeks group with MA depndent 4 weeks+gastrodin group, the scores of sterotyped behavior of MA dependent 4 weeks group had obviously decreaseed (P＜0.01) . Compared with the control group, the expression of GFAP of MA dependent 4 weeks group decreased and the expression of NEUN increased. Compared MA dependent 4 weeks group with control group, the expression of IL－ 6 and TNF－α increased (P＜0.01) . Compared MA dependent 4 weeks+gastrodian group with MA dependent 4 weeks group, the expression of TNF－α and IL－6 significantly reduced (P＜0.01) . Conclusion The neurological damage induced by methamphetamine might be related to the activation of astrocytes and the high expression of inflammatory cytokines including IL－6 and TNF－α. Gastrodin could abate the neurological injury of methamphetamine dependence via reducing the activation of astrocytes and decreasing the expression of IL－6 and TNF－α.
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Objective To compare the clinical efficacy and biomechanical property between unilateral fixator (UF) and Taylor fixator (TF) for treating Gustilo Ⅱ tibiofibula fracture. Methods In this retrospective study ,86 patients with open tibiofibula fracture admitted from January 2012 to August 2015 were divided into an UF group (n= 49) or a TF group (n= 37) according to fixing method ,and their clinical efficacy and biomechanical property were compared. Providing the finite element model was fully proved effective ,the axial stiffness ,bending stiffness and torsional stiffness of UF and TF were tested by this model.Additionally ,the torsional stiffness was measured at every 10° revolving around the model. Results The operation time was shorter in UF group (43.2 ± 11.7) min than in TF group (63.6 ± 9.8) min (P=0.027) ,and blood loss was less in the UF group (32.1 ± 13.8) ml than in TF group (57.6 ± 23.1) ml (P<0.001).All the patients were followed up for 8-31 months (mean:13.8 months). The healing time was shorter in the UF group (4.6 ± 1.7) months thanintheTFgroup(5.7 ±2.1)months(P=0.039).Thecomplicationrateswere4.5％ (9/201)in the UF group ,which was significantly less than that in the TF group (12.0％ ,14/117) (P<0.05) .For biomechanical property ,the axial ,bending and torsional stiffnesses were higher in the UF group [(341.47 N/m ,80 Nm/deg ,and (210-430) N/m ,respectively]than in the TF group[226.83 N/m ,72 Nm/deg ,and (242-287 ) N/m ,respectively ]. Conclusions In the treatment of open tibiofibula fracture ,UF is easier to operate and has better agreement with the biomechanical property and better ability to resist a rotation and a compression ,which is obviously superior to TF.Besides ,UF is better than TF for fracture recovery.